Final installment of “The Last Day” series
11:54 a.m.: A lone doe with one fawn walks out of the woods northeast of my stand, cuts south after passing my spot and enters the woods behind me. When I left the woods later today, I discovered a spot where these two deer had bedded down. I’ll detail this find in a note later in this journal entry.
Anyway, the pair entered an area around a stand I call “Powerline #1”. Here, two giant poplar trees with trunks bigger than you could encircle your arms around fell some years ago during a microburst wind storm.
As they collapsed, their huge branches and dense, heavy trunks smashed and ripped out an opening in otherwise heavy forest cover. They literally ripped down other large trees like skyscrapers falling onto smaller buildings.
Several years ago I discovered this place and hung a treestand in a huge cedar at the edge of the opening. I then used a chainsaw to cut the fallen poplars, which had been arching above the ground by resting on big branches that supported them like legs. Once flattened, an opening big enough to hunt was created east of the cedar I put my stand in.
12:56 p.m.: I hear a deep, single grunt from the woods behind me – just where the doe and fawn went earlier. I suspect a buck has responded to my calling and rattling and was circling downwind of the spot I called from (the Owl Stand) to try to scent check the area for the source of the calls. I’m so high up in this tree though, that my scent will pass over any deer coming up from the south (downwind) of me.
I can hear something moving in the heavier cover behind my spot, and I sure hope it is the buck that grunted! Despite the additional calls I make however, this deer does not show itself. In any case, I can’t turn far enough around on this small platform to get a shot in that direction if one presents itself. The main trunk of the tree my stand is attached to is in the way, and there is lots of heavy cover at ground level that way.
Note: Later this day when I left the woods, I walked through the woods straight behind (west) of the Owl Stand to see if I could figure out what happened. I found two fresh deer beds in the newly fallen snow about seventy-five yards away from where I had been posted. Just south of the beds, I discovered a large set of tracks approaching into the wind to scent check the spot.
The doe and fawn tracks left the beds, heading northwest, with the larger tracks following them. So the buck rousted the two bedded deer and would hound them for a while. I really think that buck was coming in to check out my calling efforts when he discovered the other two. That buck left good sized hoof prints. They seem as large as the eight-point buck I shot two years ago near here.
1:42 p.m.: A four-point buck walks into view from the north. Like the spikehorn that earlier followed roughly the same path, this small buck browses his way along, nipping at various types of woody forage. I watched this deer biting at small branch tips from trees and I think he even ate some spruce needles. This is somewhat unusual since spruce certainly is not a preferred food. This makes me recall deer I watched in Georgia one year that definitely ate needles from some species of pine tree. Of course deer up here in the northwoods eat white cedar all winter, so I guess each region has certain foods that appeal to the local herd.
2:30 p.m.: I have had enough exposure for this day. I’m stiff and my face is windburned despite the face mask I’m using. Seven and one-half hours up this tree is enough. I parked my four-wheeled all terrain vehicle about one-half mile west of here and I have to bushwhack through the woods to get there. Despite the fact that I did not kill a deer, I enjoyed this day. Muzzleloader season opens in another week and I’ll be back out again. I’ll have some new reports from that hunt.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Showing posts with label rut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rut. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
THE LAST DAY - Part two
Author's note: This is part 2 of the series entitled "The Last Day. It details observations I made while spending 7 1/2 hours in an open treestand on the last day of the 2008 rifle season for deer (Sunday, November 30). I used no bait for this hunt. I wanted the movements I watched to be as natural as possible. I did do a lot of calling and rattling antlers to try to attract bucks - and I saw bucks. I was surprised at the amount of rut-based movement this late in the season.
Beginning of part two of “The Last Day” series.
A light snow has been falling for the past hour or so. If I sit very still, a dusting of the powdery stuff starts to cover me. I feel this is a good sign since deer tend to move more during periods of light snowfall. It is almost as though they sense that the new snow may cover up more of the stuff they feed on, and that they should feed more heavily while the opportunity exists.
10:48 a.m.: Three big deer cross from the north and trot toward another stand I have, “Birch Hill”. I almost hunted that spot today, but decided at the last minute to take this place instead. I’m glad I did. Birch hill is a ground blind made from brush and logs piled in a roughly circular formation. It is a great little spot where I can watch a small clearing surrounded by heavy woods, but it does not offer a panoramic vista as the Owl Stand has.
Anyway, these three deer are all does and I wonder where their fawns are. Any doe from 2 ½ years and older normally has from one to three of them tagging along. They have probably stationed them in nearby heavier cover since bucks are still chasing the adult does at this time. If the fawns were present with the adult does, bucks might injure them by driving them off during this phase of the rut.
11:18 a.m.: Three more large deer come running out of heavier timber north of my stand. They too, are traveling east toward Birch Hill. One of them gives out a loud bleat as it crosses the opening I watch. I go on “high alert” at the sight of these does and fully expect a buck to show at any time. Few reasons exist for the does to be running unless a buck is chasing them or a pack of coyotes have taken up their trail.
11:19 a.m.: Sure enough! A buck comes out of the woods where the does emerged. He is dogging them, nose down in the snow and zig-zagging along. Since the three does all ran on slightly different paths, the buck is crossing all three sets of tracks out repeatedly, trying to sort out where they went and how far ahead they might be.
I can see small antlers on this deer and I am confident it is just a six-point buck, meaning that it has three antler points on each side. It is possible that this one may have two additional brow tines near the antler bases, making it an eight-pointer. Even if this is true, I would not take this deer. It has some potential to grow into a considerably larger buck next season. Also, this is the last day of this rifle season. I don’t think this buck will be killed by anyone else who might still be hunting north or south of here. I know at least part of his home territory from the observations I made today, and I’ll be back next year.
11:30 a.m.: Two fawns come out of the woods northeast of my stand, followed by a spikehorn buck. Looking at this small two-pointer, I figure it is the same one I saw earlier in the day. They amble along, heading toward the Powerline #2 stand. They seem to have a specific destination in mind because they are not taking time to browse along the way. Most of the time, deer are almost constantly nipping at various types of plant growth or pulling leaves from trees and picking them up off the ground. This is especially true during the early winter time frame when they need as much body weight as possible to survive the lean times to come.
Note: All of the deer I have reported so far have been within range of this stand, from about fifty to one hundred and fifty yards away. I have seen other movements slightly inside the heavier cover, but have not counted them as deer since I could not be sure they were actually whitetails.
The final installment of this series will run tomorrow. Stop by then!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Beginning of part two of “The Last Day” series.
A light snow has been falling for the past hour or so. If I sit very still, a dusting of the powdery stuff starts to cover me. I feel this is a good sign since deer tend to move more during periods of light snowfall. It is almost as though they sense that the new snow may cover up more of the stuff they feed on, and that they should feed more heavily while the opportunity exists.
10:48 a.m.: Three big deer cross from the north and trot toward another stand I have, “Birch Hill”. I almost hunted that spot today, but decided at the last minute to take this place instead. I’m glad I did. Birch hill is a ground blind made from brush and logs piled in a roughly circular formation. It is a great little spot where I can watch a small clearing surrounded by heavy woods, but it does not offer a panoramic vista as the Owl Stand has.
Anyway, these three deer are all does and I wonder where their fawns are. Any doe from 2 ½ years and older normally has from one to three of them tagging along. They have probably stationed them in nearby heavier cover since bucks are still chasing the adult does at this time. If the fawns were present with the adult does, bucks might injure them by driving them off during this phase of the rut.
11:18 a.m.: Three more large deer come running out of heavier timber north of my stand. They too, are traveling east toward Birch Hill. One of them gives out a loud bleat as it crosses the opening I watch. I go on “high alert” at the sight of these does and fully expect a buck to show at any time. Few reasons exist for the does to be running unless a buck is chasing them or a pack of coyotes have taken up their trail.
11:19 a.m.: Sure enough! A buck comes out of the woods where the does emerged. He is dogging them, nose down in the snow and zig-zagging along. Since the three does all ran on slightly different paths, the buck is crossing all three sets of tracks out repeatedly, trying to sort out where they went and how far ahead they might be.
I can see small antlers on this deer and I am confident it is just a six-point buck, meaning that it has three antler points on each side. It is possible that this one may have two additional brow tines near the antler bases, making it an eight-pointer. Even if this is true, I would not take this deer. It has some potential to grow into a considerably larger buck next season. Also, this is the last day of this rifle season. I don’t think this buck will be killed by anyone else who might still be hunting north or south of here. I know at least part of his home territory from the observations I made today, and I’ll be back next year.
11:30 a.m.: Two fawns come out of the woods northeast of my stand, followed by a spikehorn buck. Looking at this small two-pointer, I figure it is the same one I saw earlier in the day. They amble along, heading toward the Powerline #2 stand. They seem to have a specific destination in mind because they are not taking time to browse along the way. Most of the time, deer are almost constantly nipping at various types of plant growth or pulling leaves from trees and picking them up off the ground. This is especially true during the early winter time frame when they need as much body weight as possible to survive the lean times to come.
Note: All of the deer I have reported so far have been within range of this stand, from about fifty to one hundred and fifty yards away. I have seen other movements slightly inside the heavier cover, but have not counted them as deer since I could not be sure they were actually whitetails.
The final installment of this series will run tomorrow. Stop by then!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
THE LAST DAY - Part One
THE LAST DAY
By: Ray Hansen
As I fumbled around the house in the darkness before sunrise Sunday morning, I was struck by the thought that this was the last day of the deer hunting season for so many people.
Here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, that portion of the deer hunting season in which the use of modern rifles is permitted, ends November 30. Hunting deer while using bow and arrow, or primitive firearms (muzzleloaders) continues, but for most hunters, the season ended thirty minutes after sunset Sunday.
I spent most of the daylight hours the last day thirty feet up a big spruce tree, surveying an expanse of second-growth poplar, spruce, cedar, black ash, and elm. I call this spot the “Owl Stand” because I once watched a pair of owls roost nearby. Snow covers the ground, offering better visibility than was possible when this part of the season began on November 15.
While many trees grow in this spot, I can see for one hundred to two hundred yards north, northwest, northeast, and east of the stand. The heavier spruce and cedar cover bordering this opening stands like a solid wall along the edges. Deer come out of the thick cover at random times.
The many long hours sitting high up on a tiny platform in the frigid weather left me stiff, cold, wind-burned and tired, but not bored. I saw lots of deer. The fact that I did not shoot one did not diminish my enjoyment. I was outside in a natural setting and was able to watch animals I hunt go about their daily routine. I learned things as usual. Here is a recap of the day’s events:
8:48 a.m.: I have been hearing brush break near this stand since daybreak, but I have not identified what is causing the sounds. I suspect it is from a buck chasing does, but I do not know that at this point. I have been trying to lure deer out by using a call.
Suddenly, one big deer busts out of the heavier cover north of me, with another large one chasing it. They zig-zag back and forth for half a minute or so, and I can see antlers on the second deer. I need to stop it to get at least a brief look at the headgear. I may decide to take this buck, but I need to confirm that it has at least four points on one side or more to make it a legal target. They are running nearly full-out, cutting corners, changing direction, and leaping over fallen trees.
I blow several loud grunts on my deer call but fail to stop this buck. The pair crashes off into the woods east of my stand and breaks more brush before moving out of sound range. Watching them from a thirty-foot perch has given me something akin to a hawks-eye view of the proceedings. It is like watching a play from a balcony level box seat.
9:20 a.m.: A lone spikehorn buck appears on my “radar”, walking slowly from north to south and browsing on weed tops sticking up through the snow and the woody tips of branches on small trees. He is stopping to scan his surroundings frequently – probably to try to pinpoint the source of the calls I have used.
Note: I am calling frequently today, using doe bleats, buck grunts, a fawn-in-distress sound, tending grunts, and buck “clicking” calls at fifteen minute intervals. I am also using my “Treestand Rattlr’” rattling bag to simulate bucks sparring (www.brushwolfgear.com). As the day wore on, I seem to have attracted some curious bucks as you will see later in this report.
10:20 a.m.: A 2 ½ year-old doe walks by from the direction of another stand I have placed near here called “Powerline #2” stand. The various stands were originally set-up as bowhunting spots, but some do double duty as firearm hunting sites as well. This doe has a fawn walking behind her. They turn northward near the stand I am using today and walk out of sight.
End of part one. Check in tomorrow for part two.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
By: Ray Hansen
As I fumbled around the house in the darkness before sunrise Sunday morning, I was struck by the thought that this was the last day of the deer hunting season for so many people.
Here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, that portion of the deer hunting season in which the use of modern rifles is permitted, ends November 30. Hunting deer while using bow and arrow, or primitive firearms (muzzleloaders) continues, but for most hunters, the season ended thirty minutes after sunset Sunday.
I spent most of the daylight hours the last day thirty feet up a big spruce tree, surveying an expanse of second-growth poplar, spruce, cedar, black ash, and elm. I call this spot the “Owl Stand” because I once watched a pair of owls roost nearby. Snow covers the ground, offering better visibility than was possible when this part of the season began on November 15.
While many trees grow in this spot, I can see for one hundred to two hundred yards north, northwest, northeast, and east of the stand. The heavier spruce and cedar cover bordering this opening stands like a solid wall along the edges. Deer come out of the thick cover at random times.
The many long hours sitting high up on a tiny platform in the frigid weather left me stiff, cold, wind-burned and tired, but not bored. I saw lots of deer. The fact that I did not shoot one did not diminish my enjoyment. I was outside in a natural setting and was able to watch animals I hunt go about their daily routine. I learned things as usual. Here is a recap of the day’s events:
8:48 a.m.: I have been hearing brush break near this stand since daybreak, but I have not identified what is causing the sounds. I suspect it is from a buck chasing does, but I do not know that at this point. I have been trying to lure deer out by using a call.
Suddenly, one big deer busts out of the heavier cover north of me, with another large one chasing it. They zig-zag back and forth for half a minute or so, and I can see antlers on the second deer. I need to stop it to get at least a brief look at the headgear. I may decide to take this buck, but I need to confirm that it has at least four points on one side or more to make it a legal target. They are running nearly full-out, cutting corners, changing direction, and leaping over fallen trees.
I blow several loud grunts on my deer call but fail to stop this buck. The pair crashes off into the woods east of my stand and breaks more brush before moving out of sound range. Watching them from a thirty-foot perch has given me something akin to a hawks-eye view of the proceedings. It is like watching a play from a balcony level box seat.
9:20 a.m.: A lone spikehorn buck appears on my “radar”, walking slowly from north to south and browsing on weed tops sticking up through the snow and the woody tips of branches on small trees. He is stopping to scan his surroundings frequently – probably to try to pinpoint the source of the calls I have used.
Note: I am calling frequently today, using doe bleats, buck grunts, a fawn-in-distress sound, tending grunts, and buck “clicking” calls at fifteen minute intervals. I am also using my “Treestand Rattlr’” rattling bag to simulate bucks sparring (www.brushwolfgear.com). As the day wore on, I seem to have attracted some curious bucks as you will see later in this report.
10:20 a.m.: A 2 ½ year-old doe walks by from the direction of another stand I have placed near here called “Powerline #2” stand. The various stands were originally set-up as bowhunting spots, but some do double duty as firearm hunting sites as well. This doe has a fawn walking behind her. They turn northward near the stand I am using today and walk out of sight.
End of part one. Check in tomorrow for part two.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
DEER SEASON UPDATE
DEER SEASON UPDATE
By: Ray Hansen
I have been trying to sit down to write a report about how the rifle portion of this years deer season has progressed for me, but I have simply run into too many glitches. Computer problems, electrical work here at home and weather have conspired to keep me from journaling as I normally do.
I have been wading through eighteen inches of snow here at home, with some drifts that are two to four feet deep. I spent Saturday morning snowblowing, plowing, and shoveling. Temperatures have gone up enough to cause some daytime melting today (Monday 11-24), however it was two degrees below zero yesterday morning as I drove out to the swamp I hunted that day.
Among the group I hunt with, Larry took a nice nine-point buck Friday as it chased a doe past his stand. The shot was about 75 yards and was a clean, quick kill with his 30-06. His son Shawn took an eight-point buck as it trailed a doe past his stand. The buck was 160 yards out, and Shawn used his .270 with a steady rest to make the shot. When I mention the group I hunt with, I mean that about six of us hunt a 160 acre tract, but we almost never hunt together. Instead, each person hunts when time permits, and according to what type of license he holds.
A friend of the group, Bob, stopped by Sunday to pass along his report. He has two daughters and a son, who all killed bucks, a five-point, a seven-point, and an eight-point. He hunts in various spots around here, and each deer was taken in a different area.
I tagged a doe in October while bowhunting, but have not seen a buck I was willing to shoot yet. I’m waiting for an eight-point or better buck while hunting with my rifle, and the remaining tag I have does not permit me to take anything smaller with a firearm. I can use the tag for another antlerless deer until the end of December with my bow.
Duane and I hunted a large swamp yesterday, and saw about twenty different deer between us. The heavy snowfall made it harder for them to forage, so they have been very active since the temperature has come up a little. The deep snow may have put a damper on rut activity as well. We did not observe any doe chasing, scraping, or cruising bucks Sunday. All the deer were focused on feeding. We both used rut scent and calling to try to convince larger bucks that they should check our areas out, but none responded.
The ride out to the hunting area was very scenic. We use ATV’s for a half-mile or so then walk the final quarter-mile on foot. Pines draped in heavy snow cover made the old logging road look like a Currier and Ives scene. Fresh tracks in the snow told us deer were moving well, and the sheer number we saw while sitting in the woods verified what the tracks stated.
The end of the evening was also something that makes these times so memorable. We met up in Tom’s big pole barn and built a hot fire in the old wood-burning stove. We pulled a few old chairs up around the welcome heat, and cut thick slices of sausage made from a 425 pound black bear Len killed earlier this year. Some bourbon over ice accented the bear meat, and before long we traded a few old deer stories around the fire.
That’s why I hunt…..
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
By: Ray Hansen
I have been trying to sit down to write a report about how the rifle portion of this years deer season has progressed for me, but I have simply run into too many glitches. Computer problems, electrical work here at home and weather have conspired to keep me from journaling as I normally do.
I have been wading through eighteen inches of snow here at home, with some drifts that are two to four feet deep. I spent Saturday morning snowblowing, plowing, and shoveling. Temperatures have gone up enough to cause some daytime melting today (Monday 11-24), however it was two degrees below zero yesterday morning as I drove out to the swamp I hunted that day.
Among the group I hunt with, Larry took a nice nine-point buck Friday as it chased a doe past his stand. The shot was about 75 yards and was a clean, quick kill with his 30-06. His son Shawn took an eight-point buck as it trailed a doe past his stand. The buck was 160 yards out, and Shawn used his .270 with a steady rest to make the shot. When I mention the group I hunt with, I mean that about six of us hunt a 160 acre tract, but we almost never hunt together. Instead, each person hunts when time permits, and according to what type of license he holds.
A friend of the group, Bob, stopped by Sunday to pass along his report. He has two daughters and a son, who all killed bucks, a five-point, a seven-point, and an eight-point. He hunts in various spots around here, and each deer was taken in a different area.
I tagged a doe in October while bowhunting, but have not seen a buck I was willing to shoot yet. I’m waiting for an eight-point or better buck while hunting with my rifle, and the remaining tag I have does not permit me to take anything smaller with a firearm. I can use the tag for another antlerless deer until the end of December with my bow.
Duane and I hunted a large swamp yesterday, and saw about twenty different deer between us. The heavy snowfall made it harder for them to forage, so they have been very active since the temperature has come up a little. The deep snow may have put a damper on rut activity as well. We did not observe any doe chasing, scraping, or cruising bucks Sunday. All the deer were focused on feeding. We both used rut scent and calling to try to convince larger bucks that they should check our areas out, but none responded.
The ride out to the hunting area was very scenic. We use ATV’s for a half-mile or so then walk the final quarter-mile on foot. Pines draped in heavy snow cover made the old logging road look like a Currier and Ives scene. Fresh tracks in the snow told us deer were moving well, and the sheer number we saw while sitting in the woods verified what the tracks stated.
The end of the evening was also something that makes these times so memorable. We met up in Tom’s big pole barn and built a hot fire in the old wood-burning stove. We pulled a few old chairs up around the welcome heat, and cut thick slices of sausage made from a 425 pound black bear Len killed earlier this year. Some bourbon over ice accented the bear meat, and before long we traded a few old deer stories around the fire.
That’s why I hunt…..
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
DEER FIXES TRUCK !
By: Ray Hansen
It happened again as my wife and I were returning from town yesterday evening. A deer ran into the side of her car not far from our home along the Escanaba River here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We were going along about forty miles per hour when two of the sleek animals suddenly jumped across the road in front of us just fifteen or twenty feet away. A third darted out of the heavy woods, but began to turn around as we passed it. It seemed that its rear hoofs banged the side of the Honda as the deer wheeled about. I caught a glimpse of it running back into the low cedar growth so it seemed alright. The car was not damaged either, so the outcome of this “meeting” was not bad.
It’s that time of year again. The early fall season when deer start roaming around more. A time when they are often found in fields near roads as they forage heavily in anticipation of upcoming cold weather. In November, the annual rutting season will arrive and bucks will be chasing does and as a result, paying less attention to safety. All this means an increase on car/deer collisions. Driving slower and remaining watchful is very important now.
Hitting a deer can cause major damage to a vehicle, and can even result in injured people. Sometimes drivers will swerve to avoid deer and lose control of their vehicles. Once in a while they will hit another vehicle while trying to miss the deer. As I said, this is a time to drive slower and stay alert.
Once in a while a humorous story comes out of car/deer accidents. One such incident happened to me. I had a 1996 Dodge truck at the time. The driver’s door was slightly damaged from someone backing into it in a parking lot. Each time I opened that door it made a loud “clunk” because the hinge was not aligned properly after the accident.
During the November rut season I was driving this vehicle to a friend’s home along a country road in the Upper Peninsula. Several deer jumped across the road in front of me at a distance, so I had plenty of time to slow down. As I neared the place they crossed, a smallish four-point buck stood in the ditch, looking off in the direction the others had run.
I came to a complete stop and simply watched the buck. In a few seconds he bolted directly toward me, then ran headfirst into the driver’s door with a loud bang. Bouncing off the truck’s side, he stumbled off the road, recovered for a few seconds, then ran into the woods in the direction he had come from. The animal seemed alright, and I simply continued driving to my friend’s home as a slow pace. I laughed at the thought of the story I had to tell – the deer had run into me, I didn’t hit him - but the best was yet to come!
When I parked in the driveway and opened the door to get out of the truck, it no longer clunked! Not believing what I heard (or more correctly did not hear) I opened and shut the door several times. It did not make the annoying noise it made prior to the buck running into me. He had repaired my truck! And at no charge! What a mechanic! I wish they were all like that.
Seriously though, most stories about deer strikes are not going to have happy endings like this. Be more watchful at this time of year, and slow down a little. This practice helps avoid a lot of trouble.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
It happened again as my wife and I were returning from town yesterday evening. A deer ran into the side of her car not far from our home along the Escanaba River here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We were going along about forty miles per hour when two of the sleek animals suddenly jumped across the road in front of us just fifteen or twenty feet away. A third darted out of the heavy woods, but began to turn around as we passed it. It seemed that its rear hoofs banged the side of the Honda as the deer wheeled about. I caught a glimpse of it running back into the low cedar growth so it seemed alright. The car was not damaged either, so the outcome of this “meeting” was not bad.
It’s that time of year again. The early fall season when deer start roaming around more. A time when they are often found in fields near roads as they forage heavily in anticipation of upcoming cold weather. In November, the annual rutting season will arrive and bucks will be chasing does and as a result, paying less attention to safety. All this means an increase on car/deer collisions. Driving slower and remaining watchful is very important now.
Hitting a deer can cause major damage to a vehicle, and can even result in injured people. Sometimes drivers will swerve to avoid deer and lose control of their vehicles. Once in a while they will hit another vehicle while trying to miss the deer. As I said, this is a time to drive slower and stay alert.
Once in a while a humorous story comes out of car/deer accidents. One such incident happened to me. I had a 1996 Dodge truck at the time. The driver’s door was slightly damaged from someone backing into it in a parking lot. Each time I opened that door it made a loud “clunk” because the hinge was not aligned properly after the accident.
During the November rut season I was driving this vehicle to a friend’s home along a country road in the Upper Peninsula. Several deer jumped across the road in front of me at a distance, so I had plenty of time to slow down. As I neared the place they crossed, a smallish four-point buck stood in the ditch, looking off in the direction the others had run.
I came to a complete stop and simply watched the buck. In a few seconds he bolted directly toward me, then ran headfirst into the driver’s door with a loud bang. Bouncing off the truck’s side, he stumbled off the road, recovered for a few seconds, then ran into the woods in the direction he had come from. The animal seemed alright, and I simply continued driving to my friend’s home as a slow pace. I laughed at the thought of the story I had to tell – the deer had run into me, I didn’t hit him - but the best was yet to come!
When I parked in the driveway and opened the door to get out of the truck, it no longer clunked! Not believing what I heard (or more correctly did not hear) I opened and shut the door several times. It did not make the annoying noise it made prior to the buck running into me. He had repaired my truck! And at no charge! What a mechanic! I wish they were all like that.
Seriously though, most stories about deer strikes are not going to have happy endings like this. Be more watchful at this time of year, and slow down a little. This practice helps avoid a lot of trouble.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
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